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10 Jan 2023

Selena Gomez Steals Christmas Back With Hilarious ‘Grinch’ Lip Sync: Watch

Move over Cindy Lou, there’s a new Who in town! Selena Gomez proved she’s not quite ready to put the Christmas decorations away on Tuesday (Jan. 10) with a lip sync from How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

On TikTok, the star and a couple of pals channeled a young Taylor Momsen by lip syncing to “Where Are You Christmas” from the 2000 live-action holiday classic, complete with their noses taped up to look like the Whos in the film. “Where are you Christmas?/ Do you remember?” the trio mouth along to the then-seven-year-old’s warbled vocals.

Gomez’s fans couldn’t get enough of the funny video, with one commenting, “She’s so real for this.” Another chimed in, “Healing our inner child today i see” while a third wrote, “Selena in her active era. We Love to see it.”

The singer’s Christmasy clip comes just as “Calm Down,” her recent collaboration with Rema ascends to the top spot on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart (dated Jan. 14). The triumph marks her first No. 1 on the worldwide tally while Rema becomes the very first African artist to reach the chart’s peak.

Last month, Gomez nabbed her very first Golden Globe nomination for her role as Mabel Mora in the hit Hulu comedy series Only Murders in the Building opposite Steve Martin and Martin Short. Sharing a throwback video of an old interview to celebrate, the Wizards of Waverly Place alum showed that she had, indeed, manifested the nomination, claiming she was “more of a Golden Globe or Oscar girl” than having her heart set on winning a Grammy.

Watch Selena and her friends do their best Cindy Lou Who impersonations below.

10 Jan 2023

Kaya Jones Says She Regrets Having 3 Abortions & Felt Like a ‘Slave’ While in Pussycat Dolls

Kaya Jones considers herself pro-life, and in a sensitive new interview, the 38-year-old singer has explained why. Speaking with Students for Life on Jan. 5, the former Pussycat Dolls member revealed that she has had three abortions in her lifetime — all of which she says she deeply regrets — and claimed that she was once pressured to seek out the procedure back in her girl group days.

Jones started out by revisiting a statement she’s made before — that being a Pussycat Doll was like being in a prostitution ring — and compared her alleged experiences to Britney Spears‘ conservatorship. Specifically, Jones referenced how Spears once likened her conservatorship, which was terminated in 2021, to being sex trafficked.

“It feels like you’re a slave, literally, to your dream,” Jones said. “You have no access to personal thoughts, space, choices, decision. You are an owned commodity. What you eat has been decided for you, where you live is gonna be decided for you. Ultimately, you can’t have a child. The level of control is to the point of, ‘Who am I?’”

According to Jones, she experienced an epiphany during a Pussycat Dolls performance, during which she says she spotted two little girls in the crowd watching her with adoration. “At that moment, I was going through an abortion,” she recalled. “I’m losing my child in real time. Nothing on me in that moment said, ‘Caution: this is a lie.’ And I was a lie in that moment. There was nothing beautiful about me. I was tainted. I was living in my worst self.”

“I was basically saying: you can be sexually overly-perverse, doing things that you’re not happy about,” she continued, describing the message she felt she was sending to those two girls in the audience. “Low self esteem leads to promiscuity ultimately, which leads to you having an abortion that you wish you’d never even encountered because it’s painful beyond measure.”

“Do you ever get over it? Never,” she added. “It is something that you will live with for the rest of your life.”

The National Diversity Coalition for Trump ambassador went on to outline her three abortion experiences. The first happened when she was 16 or 17, which she says desensitized her to the gravity of the procedure. When she found out she was pregnant while still in the Pussycat Dolls, she says she was “told to get rid of it.”

Long after she left the Pussycat Dolls in 2004, Jones said she became pregnant at 30 after being sexually assaulted by someone she trusted at the time. She said the assault was caused by poor self esteem she developed “going through these forms of abuse in my earlier life.” Due to the stress of the situation, Jones says there were complications with the pregnancy that led to another abortion.

Abortion has, of course, been a particularly hot button issue since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year. Many of Jones’ fellow musicians spoke out against the decision, with artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Halsey even sharing personal stories of how abortion had at one point been a beneficial or life-saving form of healthcare for them.

Jones sees abortion differently, though. “Children are a blessing from God,” she concluded. “I hope to one day be able to be a mom, I hope to be a wife and get to to be able to share what I do believe is the greatest gift, and ultimately the greatest job you’ll ever have on this planet as a woman, to be a mother.”

See Kaya Jones’ interview with Students for Life below.

10 Jan 2023

Is Rosalia Releasing a Song in English?

Rosalía has teased fans with what seems to be her first music drop of 2023. 

In a new TikTok post uploaded on Monday (Jan. 9), the Spanish singer-songwriter shared a 25-second video where she’s wearing a long coat, fuzzy ear muffs, and spinning around a lighted and glittery room. In the background, a snippet of what could possibly be her new song titled “LLYLM” (Lie Like You Love Me). 

The upcoming track highlights the 30-year-old artist singing a verse completely in English backed by a catchy pop tune laced with Flamenco Palmas (handclapping). 

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“I don’t need honesty/Baby, lie like you love me, lie like you love me/Cover me in a dream, I’ll be yours, our fantasy/Who needs the honesty?/ Baby, lie like you love me, lie like you love me/Maybe in the end, it becomes real, enough for me,” she chants in the track. 

The “Bizcochito” singer teased the new track three weeks after dropping her first collaborative effort with Cardi B on “Despechá RMX” and just days after ringing in the new year in Japan alongside her boyfriend, singer Rauw Alejandro and the latest music lovebirds Christian Nodal and Cazzu. 

In 2022, Rosalía won four Latin Grammys awards including the coveted album of the year for Motomami. The edgy and experimental 16-track set debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Pop Albums chart on the April 2, 2022-dated ranking. Her supporting world tour grossed $28.1 million through the end of October, according to Billboard Boxscore. 

Check out the preview of “LLYLM” below.

10 Jan 2023

A New Union LA x Air Jordan 1 High OG Colorway Is Rumored To Be Dropping

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Another Union LA and Air Jordan collaboration is on the way. After receiving some lukewarm reviews for their Air Jordan 2 and Air Jordan 4 colorways, they’ll be going back to the ones that started it all with another Air Jordan 1 High OG colorway.

The sneaker world went into a frenzy earlier this week when word leaked that Union LA and Jordan Brand were working on a new colorway for their revered Air Jordan 1 collaboration they dropped in 2018. Though the actual colorway is still a mystery, it’s said that the new installment will be “unlike anything you’ve ever seen” in both the colorway and details. Regardless of how the sneakers look, best believe hypebeasts will be jumping all over this release as the previous Union x Air Jordan 1s are reselling for $1600+ on the secondary market these days.

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While we await our first official look at the upcoming collaboration, word is that the sneakers will drop sometime later this year, which will give resellers ample time to configure their sneaker bots to attack the website once it’s on and popping (SMFH). Also wouldn’t be surprised if Benjamin Kicks ends up with half of this inventory like he did with the Union x Air Jordan 2s. Just saying.

Are you hype for the Union LA x Air Jordan 1 collaboration or are you tired of all the Jordan 1 colorways that’ve been dropping the past few years? Let us know in the comments section below.

10 Jan 2023

03 Greedo Drops New Mixtape, Gets Prison Release Date

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With his release from prison on the horizon, 03 Greedo is in a celebratory mood as his latest mixtape hits the streets.

According to reporting, Jason Jackson aka 03 Greedo is set to be released from prison this week. The information was based on a filing by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which was shared by reporter Jeff Weiss on Twitter Sunday night (Jan. 8). Representatives for 03 Greedo were contacted by other press outlets with no official response returned.

The news comes as the Los Angeles, California rapper released a new mixtape entitled Free 03 at midnight Monday (Jan. 9). The 14-track project was produced by fellow LA native Mike Free and is his latest since Load It Up Vol. 01, which was done in collaboration with RONRONTHEPRODUCER and released in 2021.

This time around, the mixtape features include OHGeesy on “I Can’t Control Myself” and BlueBucksClan on “Pourin.” The mixtape even includes a verse from the late Drakeo The Ruler on the track “No Free Features.” It continues a long-time collaborative partnership and friendship. Drakeo’s death backstage at the Once Upon A Time in LA Festival in December 2021 affected Greedo deeply.

“I wake up every day wishing I made parole so I could convinced you to move out of LA with me and focus on the music,” he wrote on his Instagram account in January 2022.

03 Greedo has been serving a 20-year sentence on firearm and drug charges in Texas. In 2016, the rapper was stopped on a highway and his vehicle was searched, with deputies finding two stolen pistols and methamphetamines. Facing a 300-year sentence for possession of a controlled substance and weapons, Greedo took a plea deal.

His co-defendant, Justin Scott, received probation as his lawyers successfully argued that officers only found the drugs and weapons as an illegal stop-and-search. The original release date for 03 Greedo was set for 2038, with the earliest possibility of him receiving parole being the year 2026.

10 Jan 2023

Leslie Jordan to Be Honored by Maren Morris, Eddie Vedder, Brothers Osborne & More at Tribute Show

Several country music artists will honor the late comedian-musician Leslie Jordan on Feb. 19, when Reportin’ for Duty: A Tribute to Leslie Jordan is held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville.

An assembly of Jordan’s friends and collaborators will celebrate his life and career, with performances from Eddie Vedder, Maren Morris, Brothers Osborne, Brittney Spencer, Billy Strings, Lukas Nelson, Jake Wesley Rogers, Ashley McBryde, Fancy Hagood, Jelly Roll, Danny Myrick and Travis Howard, in addition to special appearances by Jim Parsons, Anthony Mason, Mayim Bialik, Cheyenne Jackson, Max Greenfield, Margaret Cho, Robyn Schall, and Leanne Morgan.

Additionally, the house band will feature musicians who all performed on Jordan’s 2021 debut album, Company’s Comin’. On the album, Vedder collaborated with Jordan on “The One Who Hideth Me,” while TJ Osborne appeared on “In the Sweet By and By.” McBryde was also featured on the album, performing “Working on a Building” alongside Jordan and Charlie Worsham.

As a cause close to Jordan’s heart, all proceeds from the event will benefit the EB Research Partnership, an organization dedicated to funding research to treat and cure Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB). Tickets for the event will go on sale Friday, Jan. 13, at 10 a.m. CT, with pre-sale tickets going on sale Jan. 12 at 10 a.m. CT.

Jordan died Oct. 24, 2022, at age 67, following a car accident in Hollywood, Calif. He was known for his work on shows including Call Me Kat, Will & Grace, The Cool Kids, and The Book of Queer.

10 Jan 2023

Kim Petras Drops the Temperature With Chilly Song Teasers: ‘It’s Cold in Here’

Do you feel that chill in the air? It’s either the dropping temperatures … or a new single from pop princess Kim Petras.

In a series of posts across her social media, Petras began teasing her latest, publicly-untitled new single. Beginning on Saturday (Jan. 7), Petras began dropping snippets of the track online, building up fan anticipation for her new song. In one TikTok clip (captioned “Beat so cold I got hypothermia”), the pop star can be heard singing, “Why don’t you take it all to me/ If you think you’re so cold” over crunching hyperpop production.

Petras kept the theme going, posting a video of a spinning snowflake icon captioned “it’s cold in here,” while gentle strings give way to that same industrial beat in the background. Finally, on Monday (Jan. 9), Petras shared a blurred and pixelated image of herself on Twitter, with the caption “new_banger: loading…” next to a pre-save link to the track.

The pop singer has plenty of reason to be building up a new release. After years slowly earning mainstream recognition in the industry, Petras recently broke through thanks to her featured slot on Sam Smith’s wildly successful single “Unholy,” which climbed back up the charts to No. 2 this week, only behind Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero.”

Speaking to Billboard about her record-breaking turn on the track, Petras made it clear that she was ready for the next phase of her career to begin: “I’ve spent so long in this industry, and I feel like the music industry in general is just this weird game that people play, and it feels awesome to actually have success with an artist I adore,” she said previously. “That’s been a really authentic journey for me, coming along the way that it did.W

Check out the teaser’s for Petras’ forthcoming new single below:

10 Jan 2023

Taylor Swift Spends Milestone 60th Week at No. 1 on Artist 100 Chart

Taylor Swift continues her record run at No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated Jan. 14), as she becomes the first artist to spend 60 weeks at the summit.

Swift maintains her status as the top musical act in the U.S., thanks to the continued success of Midnights, as her latest album ranks at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 117,000 equivalent album units earned, according to Luminate, after spending five weeks at No. 1.

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Swift places nine albums on the latest Billboard 200, the most among all acts: Midnights, Lover (No. 27), Folklore (No. 31), Red (Taylor’s Version) (No. 40), 1989 (No. 42), Evermore (No. 60), Reputation (No. 62), Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (No. 126) and Speak Now (No. 163).

Swift also charts four songs from Midnights on the Billboard Hot 100: “Anti-Hero” returns to No. 1 for a seventh week on top, tying “Blank Space” as her longest-leading No. 1 hit, followed on the latest list by “Lavender Haze” (No. 37), “Bejeweled” (No. 81) and “Midnight Rain” (No. 97).

Rounding out the top five of the latest Artist 100, SZA holds at No. 2 as her new album, SOS, spends a fourth week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Morgan Wallen keeps at No. 3, The Weeknd climbs 5-4 and Harry Styles drops 4-5.

Among other Artist 100 chart moves, ATEEZ re-enters at No. 6, thanks to the K-pop group’s Spin Off : From the Witness. The set debuts at No. 7 on the Billboard 200, earning the group its second top 10, and at No. 1 on World Albums, where it’s the act’s fourth leader.

The Artist 100 measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay and streaming to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.

10 Jan 2023

Poll: Who Should Drum for Foo Fighters at Bonnaroo, Boston Calling & Sonic Temple?

Foo Fighters were announced as headliners for not one, not two, but three festivals in 2023 on Tuesday (Jan. 10): Bonnaroo, Boston Calling and Sonic Temple Art and Music Festival.

By the time the trio of fests arrives, it will be more than a year since the 2022 death of the band’s drummer, Taylor Hawkins. He unexpectedly passed away during a tour a stop in Bogota, Colombia, last March when the rockers were set to headline the the Estéreo Picnic Festival.

The loss has left a massive and glaring absence within the group as Dave Grohl and his bandmates have mourned the loss of their longtime friend, and it’s still unclear who will serve as the band’s drummer for their upcoming slate of headlining slots. So Billboard wants to know who you think could take a seat behind the drum kit and support the Foo Fighters for what’s sure to be an emotional return to the stage.

An obvious choice would be Grohl himself, considering he would often switch places with Hawkins during shows for the late drummer to front fan-favorite tracks such as “Sunday Rain” off 2017’s Concrete and Gold, and covers of Queen’s “Somebody to Love” and Pink Floyd’s “Have a Cigar.” However, it’s unrealistic the frontman would be able to do so for an entire set, so we’ve put together a list of friends and fellow musicians who could possibly lend a hand.

Both Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Matt Cameron of Pearl Jam were good friends with Hawkins, and could honor his legacy at one or more of the dates. Though just 12 years old, viral wunderkind Nandi Bushell has proven she has the chops to play just about anything, and already has a lovely relationship with the band. (She also played on “Everlong” during the band’s Aug. 26, 2021, concert in Los Angeles.) And Hawkins own son, Oliver, joined his dad’s bandmates to play “My Hero” at a tribute concert held at Wembley Stadium last September.

Plenty of other big-name drummers also performed during the tribute show for Hawkins — as well as at a second concert weeks later at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles — including Travis Barker, Stewart Copeland of The Police, the Pretenders’ Martin Chambers, sessions drummers Josh Freese and Omar Hakim, and many others.

Vote for the drummer you’d like to see play Bonnaroo, Boston Calling and Sonic Temple with the Foo Fighters below.

10 Jan 2023

Nick Jonas, RZA and Blxst Join Speaker Roster at SXSW

Nick Jonas, Blxst and Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA are among the music stars set to speak at this year’s South By Southwest, organizers announced today (Jan. 10). The pop and hip-hop artists are among the third batch of speakers for SXSW, which takes place March 10 – 19, 2023 in Austin, Texas.

Jonas, a solo artist and member of the chart-topping sibling act Jonas Brothers, will speak on the health-focused panel, Crushing: The Burden of Diabetes on Patients; Blxst will tackle a session entitled, How Music, Entrepreneurship & Independence Intersect, facilitated by Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop reporter Heran Mamo; while RZA, the producer, director, screenwriter, rapper and composer, will take the mic as a featured speaker.

Also on board as featured speakers are Eric André, Josh D’Amaro, Tommy Dorfman, Ashley Flowers, Gottmik, Martin Luther King III, Damon Lindelof, Eva Longoria, Alexis Ohanian, Maya Penn, Austin Russell, Dan Schulman, Simran Jeet Singh, Cheryl Strayed, Jen Wong, and others.

This year’s lineup will include a special keynote session, Unfold The Universe: NASA’s Webb Space Telescope, which promises a deep-dive into outer space.

SXSW has unveiled several waves of performers for its 37th edition, including The Zombies, Lemon Twigs, Ambré and Osees, and, in an earlier round, the likes of Armani White, Algiers and Balming Tiger, alongside speakers including Warner Chappell Music co-chair and CEO Guy Moot, Signal And Cipher chief Ian Beacraft and authors Douglas Rushkoff and Joost Van Druenen.

The live music showcase is a buzzing part of a much larger festival, which was founded in 1987 and is dedicated to celebrating entertainment and culture.

Among SXSW’s partners for the 2023 edition are Anniversary Group, Atomic Music Group, Athens in Austin, British Music Embassy, Don Giovanni Records, Fire Records, FOCUS Wales, Gorilla vs Bear, Jazz re:freshed Outernational, Pop Montreal, M for Montreal, Music From Ireland, New West Records, Space Agency, and Wide Days Scotland.

As previously reported, SXSW will expand to Sydney, Australia for seven days and nights from Oct. 15-22, 2023, marking the event’s first foray outside the United States.

SXSW signed a “lifeline” deal with P-MRC, a joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and MRC, the companies announced in April 2021, making P-MRC a stakeholder and long-term partner with the Austin festival. P-MRC is the parent company of Billboard.